ER Collet Chuck and Adapter for Rockwell 11" Lathe L-00

My first lathe, so excuse me if I'm asking a dumb question.
I just purchased a Rockwell 11" lathe. It has a 3 and 4 jaw chuck. I would like to add an ER32 collet chuck to it. I will need the adapter for the lathe's L-00 spindle and any other needed components. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I'll give you a couple of suggestions since no one else has so far.

I did a little search on eBay and here is one reasonably easy solution.

Get 1 of 6" L00 Semi-finished adapter Plate for LATHE CHUCKS or something similar.

Get 1 of Collet Chuck for ER-32, 100 mm Diameter or something similar.

Then you need to machine the first adapter so you can mount the collet chuck on its face.

An easier and cheaper solution would be to get 1 of 3/4 STRAIGHT SHANK ER32 COLLET CHUCK TOOL HOLDR GAGE LENGTH 2" or something similar and mount it in a 4-jaw chuck. If you take the time to really dial it in you should be able to get decent repeatability at a very low price and low hours of overhead.

Now, possibly someone will chime it and declare that both of these solutions are hacks, so let me save them the time and aggravation, they are hacks. But they are solutions to the problem at hand, and you can implement them today.

Good luck.

Jacques

stick a mt3 collet chuck in the taper with an addapter. if your looking for high precision clock the chuck and addapter for minimal runout, maybe even get several addapers, they cost nothing. if you get an mtx mt3 extension you can use the collets without taking off the chuck. thats what i do and i got it down to 5µ on the er40 taper.

Spindle nose adapter for Delta-Rockwell 11" lathe (#25-100) with L-00 spindle

This link about the headstock taper may be helpful.

The ER collets have a wide size range per collet, and are economical to obtain. They should have the part being held extend the entire length of the collet.

5C collets have a limited grip range per collet, so you end up with more cost and need space to store them. They are also much more versatile. They can hold short peices. You can use internal length stops. You can get blanks to bore to whatever size you need. You can get expandable collets to hold tubes or hold work by holes. You can get step collets to hold larger diameter work. The 5C can be held in collet blocks and spin indexers, as well as indexing and dividing heads

My suggestion is to get your lathe set up for 5C collets- and get a 5C to ER32 adapter like this.LittleMachineShop.com 5C to ER-32 Collet Chuck (5453): Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

Thanks JR I really appreciate your input.
Do you have any suggestions for getting the 5C collet setup? I can do a search, but I am leery of being ripped off buying inferior parts.

Thanks Jacques. My only worry about those parts is that they are made in China and I wonder about their accuracy.
I would appreciate hearing from you or anyone about the quality.

My suggestion is to see what you can find used, and/or make your own.

This BK60 LATHE COLLET CLOSER DRAW BAR FOR 5C COLLETS | eBay is what you need though I do not know if this set will fit your lathe.

My suggestion is to make your own spindle adapter, and if needed modify a drawbar/handwheel to fit. That is what I did when I got my first lathe. I had not used a lathe before and this was before the internet. It was a bit intimidating- but I have been using it ever since.

Picture 1 shows a commercial adapter on the left, the adapter I made in the middle, and on the right is what it was made from- a soft (not hardened) 5 morse taper to 3 morse taper adapter. This was parted off in the lathe using a center in the tang end. The piece was then seated in the headstock, bored to the right diameter, and the the taper put in using the top slide. It was marked so I could replace it in the same location. I drilled a hole for the pin at the end, but later removed it and do not find it necessary.

Picture 2 shows the adapter on the left, the drawbar in the middle (with a collet in the end), and on the right a centering piece for an unknown drawbar. The drawbar that I got with the lathe was too long for the headstock adapter I made, so I disassembled the drawbar, shortened the tube then did the internal threading. Not your typical first threading on a lathe.

Here is a link to someone selling 5C drawbar tubes already threaded. NEW USA MADE SOUTH BEND LOGAN JET CLAUSING MONARCH LEBLOND LATHE 5C COLLET TUBE | eBay If you went this route you would need to make a centering piece, get a thrust bearing, and buy or make a handwheel. I would strongly encourage a solid handwheel- no holes or handle to catch a finger.

Picture 3 shows some of the 5C fixtures I have made to hold various parts in the lathe.
Pictures 4 and 5 show both sides of parts made with those fixtures.

Some more pictures of parts made with 5C fixturing.

Pictures 1 shows a part splines made with a broach- with the broach made entirely on the lathe.

Picture 2,3 and 4 are of the assembled item, a replacement elevation dial for a target scope with 1/8 MOA clicks. The factory dial (px 4) was matte gold on matte black and hard to read. The bottom "turret" counts revolutions, making it easy to record and repeat elevation setting. On this one I was not paying attention and put the numbers going the wrong way. They go down as the elevation goes up...

There is a lot you can do with a lathe after you learn to use it. You can start learning by making items you need.

I forgot to put in my first post a comment about hardened parts. I do not know the hardness of the 5C adapter I made, but it is not hard. It would be easy to re-cut and true the taper if I need to. I have not so far.

JohnOwens said:

Thanks Jacques. My only worry about those parts is that they are made in China and I wonder about their accuracy.
I would appreciate hearing from you or anyone about the quality.

Click to expand...

Hi John,

I'm sorry, but you will have to make your own decision on that. Most everything I have in terms of machines and tooling is from China. I have bought 4 or 5 ER collet sets over the years, and only one collet in the bunch was way off. I got the seller to supply me a better one. Just yesterday, I bent a boring bar while taking a very light cut in ABS at slow RPM in my mill. Yes, it was Chinese tooling, but, to me, this kind of thing has been the rare exception rather than the rule.

I doubt very much that the L-00 adapter is Chinese. The chuck itself is.

My approach to most everything is to try an easy and cheap solution. If it proves insufficient, then it's worth spending more time and money to come up with a better solution.

Good luck

Jacques

See attached for my ER32 collet solution for the Clausing 5914 lathe which has the L00 spindle nose. You can make from almost any L00 adapter and a typical flanged ER collet chuck.

Not seen in the photo is a locating flange between the 2 pieces. You might be tempted to make the fit as close as you can but you are better off leaving about .005" of slop. You can then loosen the mounting screws and tap into place using an indicator to remove any possible runout, as the L00 seems to vary up to .001 or so with each mounting.